MO congressional candidates' bitter battle over a home

Two candidates for a U.S. House race in Missouri discussed their views.

KSHB

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Several contenders running for a chance at Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's congressional seat, but two are instead in a bitter battle over where the other one lives.

Two conservative Republicans, Jacob Turk and Michael Burris, are running for Missouri's 5th U.S. District.

This is Turk's fifth time to run for this office but in 2011 the Missouri legislature redrew the congressional boundaries in the state.

The new gerrymandered boundaries cut Turk out of the district by just about a half mile.

He can constitutionally run for the 5th District office but his primary opponent, Burris, wonders why he would and says voters won't like it when they find out he's representing an area where he no longer lives.

Burris said, "I feel like if Mr.Turk he has a commitment to the voters, he had three years with the district to move and he should have done it."

"The voters recognize gerrymandering when they see it," Turk said, "and they'll know this was a power play by Emanuel Cleaver when they see it to try to eliminate his best opponent ... he's ever faced. What they're looking for is they're looking for a leader, not politics, that's why we have tremendous to win this time, this is not what the voters will make their decision on."

Turk believes he was cut out of the district because Cleaver pressured Missouri representatives to do so.

The former Marine has lived in the 5th District for 37 years.

Burris is a small business owner who lives in south Kansas City.

Voters head to the polls of the primary on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.